


Natural Conclusion

by lasairfhiona



Category: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-06
Updated: 2011-10-06
Packaged: 2017-10-24 08:47:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/261403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lasairfhiona/pseuds/lasairfhiona
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>the past and present intersect</p>
            </blockquote>





	Natural Conclusion

'Did he know Lee Crane?' Harry answered the question. Informing them, he not only knew Lee Crane but that they had served together on Nautilus. He ignored Fred Wilson's derogatory comment and focused on one thing -- They were giving him Lee. His mind reeled with the knowledge of who was to replace John Phillips and command Seaview for this imperative mission. He would once again get to see the man he helped train. The same man he tried to put out of his mind after Nautilus.

He managed to keep thoughts of Lee Crane off his mind until after they concluded their meetings and he and Fred Wilson were safely on the plane bound for Santa Barbara. Feigning sleep and glad for the undisturbed time, Harry allowed himself to think about the young man he'd last seen fifteen years ago. Lee'd been a Lieutenant then and he'd been a frocked one star Admiral, both rotating off the submarine they had spent the last three years aboard. Both headed in different directions, their paths surprisingly never crossing until now.

Harry wondered what kind of man Lee had matured into. What kind of Commander was he? Was Commander Lee Crane was anything like Lieutenant Lee Crane? He knew if the answer to that question was yes, they had picked the right man for the job. What he didn't know was whether the driven young officer had turned into a hardened commander, living for the Navy alone or whether Lee had taken the advice he'd given him all those years ago and allowed himself to enjoy life as much as the Navy. Harry knew if Lee had followed that advice then he would be the man Harry had mentored.

Thoughts of the young office turned to thoughts of the young man and the last time Harry had seen Lee. He had left Nautilus a few days before but the crew had invited him to the farewell party they were having for Lee… __

 _…He'd been saying his goodbyes, leaving the young men to party on without being restrained by his presence. Just as he was about to walk out the door of the O-Club, Lee stopped him, asking for a ride home, as he was tired and had to be up early to catch his flight to Virginia. He agreed, glad for the chance to spend a little more time with the young man. He'd known Lee was special the minute the younger man stepped on Nautilus and he'd taken him under his wing almost immediately, grooming Lee to be a fine officer._

 _"Sir, if you don't mind, you can just drop me here," Lee requested as reached the turn off for the guest house he was staying at after packing out his apartment._

 _"Are you sure, Lad?" Harry asked stopping the car in a parking space at the public beach parking. "I thought you were tired?"_

 _"I just said that so I could leave early," Lee explained. "I wanted to take a walk on the beach one more time. I love being on the sub but I miss the sound of the waves breaking."_

 _"Fancy some company?"_

 _"Yes, sir, that would be nice," Lee answered opening the car door and bending down to unlace his shoes._

 _Also dressed in casual clothes, Harry followed Lee's example and slipped out of his own shoes, leaving them on the floorboard, before standing and allowing his feet to sink in the sand built up on the pavement._

 _In silence, the two men headed toward the less populated end of the beach. Harry alternated between looking at the undisturbed view of the stars and Lee. With his mind wandering, he failed to notice the driftwood log until he tripped over it and landed on the other side in the soft sand._

 _"Sir! Are you okay?" Lee asked, kneeling next to where Harry had turned over to lay on his back._

 _Chuckling, Harry answered, "Yes, Lee. I'm fine," he paused momentarily then added, "You know the view of the stars is better from this position."_

 _Assured his former commanding officer was okay, Lee flopped down on his back next to him. Harry started pointing out the various constellations until they had gone through all the obvious ones and several of the harder to distinguish ones. Exhausting their knowledge, they once again lapsed into silence until Harry couldn't take it any longer and asked something he'd been curious about, "What do you plan to do once your commitment is up?" He had reasons for asking. Reasons he couldn't divulge yet because they were still in their infancy._

 _"I plan to make the Navy a career, Sir."_

 _"What about a family? Don't you eventually want to marry and have a family?"_

 _"Other than my mother, Sir, I have no other family and with my lifestyle, I don't foresee ever getting married," Lee explained._

 _"Lifestyle?" Harry asked wondering how Lee would answer and whether or not the young man would divulge something about himself that Harry already knew._

 _"As you know, Sir, the Navy is a hard taskmaster and not the easiest life for a family," Lee answered giving what he thought was the best answer. The one he always gave when questioned about why he wasn't seriously involved with anyone._

 _"Hmmm…" Harry thought for a moment then decided to up the ante a bit and let Lee know there were things he knew… Harry rolled to his side so he would watch Lee's reaction. "I thought maybe you were speaking of the lifestyle that leads men like us to the Troubadour," he commented mentioning the out of the way club catering to gay men who wanted privacy._

 _"Troubadour? Sir? I never…" Lee stuttered in surprise as he glanced at Harry then quickly turned away. He didn't want to inadvertently reveal something that could put and end to his career even though he didn't think the Admiral would do something like that._

 _"Relax Lad," Harry soothed reaching out to grasp Lee's shoulder. It was obvious that Lee had missed a very important piece of what he'd said._

 _"Sir, I… The Navy… How did you find out?" Lee finally asked, partially admitting to what Harry was saying._

 _Squeezing the shoulder still under his hand, Harry put Lee out of his misery. "I know about the Troubadour because on occasion, I too spend time there. I know about you going there because I saw you there one night," he admitted._

 _"I never saw you there," Lee interrupted, still avoiding looking at the Admiral._

 _"I made sure you didn't. I didn't want to make you nervous by seeing me and have you wonder *why* I was there," Harry explained. Knowing the young man's first instinct, had he seen him, would be to think Harry was following him._

 _"Why tell me now?" Lee asked, confused. Finally rolling to his side, he mirrored Harry's position. Where before he hadn't wanted to see the Admiral's face before as they talked, he now did. He had a feeling there was more going on than late night confessions, or at least he hoped there was._

 _Answering softly, Harry gave him the most obvious answer, "So you would know you weren't alone."_

 _"Thank you, Sir," Lee replied. It wasn't the answer he wanted. After thinking for a moment he made a bold move and did something he always wanted to do but couldn't before now for so many reasons. He reached out and stroked his fingers along Harry's cheek feeling the stubble that came at the end of a day._

 _Feeling the tingle Lee's caress caused to race through him, Harry sucked in a sharp breath. "Do you know what you are doing?" he asked, grasping Lee's hand and kissing the tips of his fingers._

 _"Yes, Sir," Lee answered quietly. He really and truly hoped he knew what he was doing as he leaned forward and touched his lips to Harry's. He could be getting something he'd wanted since he came on board Nautilus or he could be killing any chance he had in the Navy._

 _At the feel of those soft lips against his, Harry groaned and pulled Lee to him until they lay in a tangled heap on the sand. Their bodies pressed together, their hands discovering one another in a slow, at first, exploration that flared to passion in no time. Harry clutched at Lee's backside with one hand and explored the rounded curves with the other. As he started to go lower, caressing between Lee's legs, reality kicked in as to exactly *what* he was doing. With *whom* he was doing it. And *where* they were doing it…_

…The jolt of the plane landing roused Harry before he could relive how that night ended and what Lee Crane's lithe body felt like pressed against his. It was probably for the best he'd been woken when he had. The dream/memory was *so* vivid he could feel the blood coursing through his body and settling in his groin making him glad he'd laid the blanket across his lap for lack of a better place to put it rather than warmth.

Their landing also told him he needed to put Lee out of his head. He needed to set his mind to the mission they were about to embark on. He had a world to save and he couldn't afford to wonder what kind of man Lee Crane was now, especially since he'd be finding out the answer to that question in no time. Professionally, at least.

The trip to NIMR was done at high speed with a police escort and a helicopter to insure he and Fred Wilson arrived safely and without any mishap. The last thing he wanted was a repeat of the incident that had killed John Phillips. Harry just hoped the rest of the mission would go the same way. They were on a timeline and there was a large potential for things to go wrong, including the premise of the mission itself.

As he and Fred Wilson approached Seaview he saw two officers standing on deck waiting for them – Chip Morton, his XO, and Lee Crane. He knew the minute he saw Lee standing there, he was sunk. The thoughts he told himself he had to push aside for now hit him like a ton of bricks, refusing to be compartmentalized. Lee's warm smile and handshake solidified the fact that the feelings they explored briefly, all those years ago, hadn't diminished with time. And he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that if they survived the mission, there would be a long private conversation between he and Lee.

 

#####

 **Almost a Month Later**

The ease that had been prevalent between the two men since Harry walked onto Seaview changed the minute the door to Harry's penthouse closed behind them. It wasn't as if they hadn't been there before together because they had. In fact, Lee and Fred Wilson occupied Harry's two guest rooms before the three of them flew to Washington to brief the President and Secretary of the Navy about the mission. This time, however, it was different. This time it was personal and they both knew it without the words ever being spoken.

Harry led them into the den where he spent most of his free time at home. It was solely his. While Edith had lent her creative hand to making sure his two-story penthouse fit a man of his rank and stature, his den and bedroom had been off limits to her creativity. Built in mahogany bookshelves were lined with tomes of Naval History, Marine Biology, and the mysteries Harry loved to indulge in. The other walls were covered on pictures of Harry and his various crews, along with oil paintings and watercolours of seascapes. Each chosen for their quality and the fact they looked like a place you could just walk into and become a part of the painting. Skirting the worn leather sofas, Harry headed to the table containing the decanters. He poured a measure of scotch into two glasses and handed one to Lee.

"To Seaview and her new Captain," Harry toasted, raising his glass to Lee before taking a sip.

"To a new partnership," Lee returned and while his words were innocent the tone of his voice and the look on his face told Harry another story. They spoke of things left unmentioned and unfinished.

Harry understood what Lee was saying. Courting and bedding a woman was easy compared to this. It had been a long time since he'd flirted with, let alone been intimate with, a man. It was a part of his life he didn't indulge in due to his career. Lee had been an exception to that rule just as he would be an exception now. Harry was just unsure of how to go about getting to the point they both wanted to be at.

"Too bad we don't have a beach near by to take a walk on," Lee commented swirling the amber liquid in his glass before downing it and walking over to the window that overlooked the bulk of NIMR and the ocean Seaview came and went from beyond.

Joining him, Harry stood to the other side of the window. "Maybe I should buy a beach house. Or build one. I know a nice piece of land just up the coast," he commented in response knowing that it wouldn't give Lee his solution now but it could come in handy later.

"Hmmm… might be a nice idea for the future," Lee agreed, knowing the wheels in Harry's brain were already turning as to how soon he could secure a beach house for them. Years ago he'd been the one to initiate things between them. Maybe he needed to do it again, as they both seemed to be stumbling as to how to proceed.

Finishing his drink, Harry came up with the solution. "I think I can come up with a reasonable substitute for a beach. We may not have the sound of the surf but we'll at least be able to stargaze." Setting his glass down on the table he headed for the door, instructing Lee to, "Come with me."

"Admiral?" Lee questioned as he followed Harry down the hall toward the stairs that led to the second floor where the bedrooms were located.

"You'll see," Harry answered stopping on the hardwood stairs to wait for Lee to catch up with him.

Lee knew neither of the guestrooms had balconies and as they passed the door to the master bedroom his curiosity grew. As it did when Harry opened a door, leading to another set of stairs, he hadn't known there was a third floor. He had his answer, however, when they reached a steel fire door. Then mystery had been solved, they were going to the roof. What he didn't know until he stepped out onto the tiled roof was that part of it had been converted into a patio. Off to one side, under an arbor type roof covered in ivy growing from large pots sitting at the bottom of each supporting beam, sat a bricked in fireplace and grill. Tables and chairs were set under the living roof to shade the diners as other chairs and lounge chairs set out in the open give full access to the sun in the daytime or a full view of the stars.

It was to the uncovered corner of the patio that Harry headed. Above the ambient light from NIMR they had a clear view of the night sky. Leaning against the railing, Harry pointed to the sky, "There's Orion," mimicking the night they spent on the back fifteen years ago.

Playing along, Lee stepped close, their bodies only a breath apart. "There's Canis Major," Lee said pointing to a star and allowing his body to brush against Harry's.

"Mmm… Yes," Harry said in a way that said he was listening but he was concentrating on something else. Something, or rather, someone. Harry never took his eyes off the tall man next to him.

"Harry, you didn't look," Lee chastised gently using the Admiral's first name without realizing it.

'No," Harry answered "I was too busy watching you," he said bluntly.

Even with the darkness around them, Lee saw the twinkle in Harry's eye. At that moment he knew there would be no questions, no wondering, and no hesitation like there had been the first time they stargazed together. Leaning forward, he kissed the man he'd dreamed about ever since that night in Connecticut.

There was no hurry. No great rush to get to the large bed one floor below and complete their passion. They savoured the moment, the feel of their bodies pressed together once again and when they needed to breath they broke apart only far enough for them to catch their breath.

"I've wanted to do that since I saw you come aboard Seaview looking impeccable in your SDB's with that damn Fred Wilson in tow," Lee said with a ragged voice.

"I could say the same," Harry responded leaning forward to brush his lips against Lee's again. "When I saw you standing there with Chip…"

"Why don't we continue this downstairs…" Lee interrupted, not wanting to talk about Chip or anyone else. What he wanted was to take any further conversation to bed where he could see and taste Harry.

"Finish what we started…"

"And bring it to its natural conclusion," Lee declared as he and Harry headed to the door.

 

The End


End file.
